Stay tuned with the latest developments at Fernando's Hideaway guesthouse and discover the history, the truth and the mysteries around the main gateway to Bukovina, in Northeastern Romania, few km away from the old border between Moldavia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Fernando is your partner for Friendly Romania with Moldavian hospitality.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Gernot Minke

On April 10, we had the pleasure to guide the German architect Gernot Minke, internationally reknowned specialist in ecological building and professor at the University of Kassel, in a short and very intense tour through Bukovina. He came for the first time to Romania in order to present a conference at the University of Architecture and Urbanism Ion Mincu and to launch the Romanian translation of his book Building with Earth: Design and Technology of a Sustainable Architecture, both organized on April 7th in Bucharest by Arhiterra.

Having the hideaway in Draguseni as his headquarter, he was able to visit and admire the monasteries of Humor, Voronet and Sucevita, as well as the old historical Bogdana church in Radauti. In the picture, Prof. Minke appears together with Elena Klabin and Mr. Constantin, our tireless peasant neighbour who helps us in the domestical activities, in front of the house.

Friendly accommodation

Fernando invites you to his exclusive hideaway in Draguseni, 50km from Suceava. In the house, decorated in traditional Romanian folk style without neglecting modern comfort, you will be received as a close friend. According to your itinerary, Fernando will propose, out of a whole network of friendly hotels, the places that should best suit your traveling needs.

Welcome to the place where - beyond monuments, landscapes and buildings - the main attraction are PEOPLE, their lifestyle and hospitality.

Friendly tours

Fernando offers short trips and thematic tours for those who have few days at disposal in Bucharest, as well as longer tailor-made travels anywhere in Romania and neighboring countries. Our tours, combining both famous and off the beaten track attractions with the local human flavor and your personal interests, are exclusively conceived for small groups leaded by a polyglot personal guide. On demand, we may apply to your travel a genealogical, cultural or historical approach. Let us plan together your next journey!

Room and tour bookings

What and where is Bukovina

Click on the coat of arms of the Duchy of Bukovina in order to access a short history of the region.

Bukovina: the land of the painted monasteries

We will guide you to these unique jewels of Moldavian architecture and spirituality, belonging to UNESCO world heritage sites list.

Northern Bukovina

We can show you in the other half of Bukovina, today in Ukraine, the highlights of this unique area such as the historical capital of Chernivtsi, nicknamed Little Vienna, the medieval Hotin fortress, shtetls and most interesting architectonic and natural attractions.

Around Draguseni

The most important historical, architectonic and natural sites in Moldavia and Bukovina at your reach: the cities of Suceava, Iasi, Piatra Neamt, the Carpathian mountains and Bicaz Canyon, the painted monasteries, medieval wine cellars and fortresses, traditional peasant farms, handicraft and folklore centers, shtetls, salt mines, Northern Bukovina, Székely Land and Bessarabia lie within 100km from Draguseni.

In collaboration with Metaneira

The best travel guides on Romania in English language.

Antique Draguseni

Draguseni lies within the area of the first urban culture in Europe: the late Neolithic Cucuteni-Trypillian culture, that flourished between ca. 5500 BC and 2750 BC. We will bring you to the closeby specialized museums of Piatra Neamt and of the village of Cucuteni.

Draguseni: part of 2315km

Draguseni lies exactly at the European route E85, that links Klaipeda, at the shore of the Baltic Sea in Lithuania, to Alexandroupolis in Greece, passing through Belarus, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria.

Dragosseni

In a map made in 1829 in Vienna, depicting European Turkey, the village of Draguseni appears as Dragosseni.